We undoubtedly all-saints-dayknow about Halloween. Many of us will spend a little of our hard earned money to get some candy for the neighbor children who will come knocking. We might even get costumes for our own children to wear on this night of tricks and treats. But what is it really all about?

Well to properly understand Halloween we really need to see it in light of the three day event that it truly is. We don’t spend a lot of time talking about the other two days but they’re important to set the landscape of the holiday. 

The first day we should look at isn’t October 31st but November 1st. This is the day known as All Saints Day. This day was set aside by the church as early as the 2nd Century to recognize and honor the saints, both known and unknown. The belief in the Christian church is that we are part of this communion of saints. The saints are those who have gone before us in faith, while those believers in Jesus still on earth are what we refer to in the Apostles’ Creed as the holy Christian church. The two terms are referring to the different sides of life for the believers in Jesus.

All Saints Day was a day to remember these lives and the great impact their example had on the shaping of our faith today. It’s not a day to worship them but to give thanks to God for their example. The church honored the saints and held special services throughout the year to commemorate the different accomplishments of the saints. This day was a day to recognize them as a whole, both the big named saints of the church and the lesser known ones. It has only been in our more modern tradition that this holiday has been known as All Saints Day. It used to be called All Hallows Day – or all holies day.

So you can probably see how we came up with Halloween right?

The evening before All Hallows Day was referred to as All Hallows Eve which was shortened to Halloween. On Hallows Eve Christians would get together to mock the demons and evil itself. They would hold vigil in cemeteries. In the middle ages the poor would circulate asking for things called soul cakes. There was another custom that had people wearing costumes with masks to confuse the demons that they believed would circulate on this eve of the saints. The church believed this to be a time when they could trample the devil’s grave by celebrating the life that is found in Christ.

Then the third day was the day after All Saints Day. It was known as All Souls Day. This was a time in which the church would honor the faithful departed, aka those who died in faith. This was the day to remember and celebrate the lives of the grandmas and grandpas, moms and dads, friends and neighbors who died in faith.

We don’t go through all of the ritual of the early centuries of the church but we hold to a same basic approach. All Saints Day is the pivotal point of the whole thing. It’s the day in the Christian Church where we remember the faith of those who have gone before us. These could be the saints of old or the more recent loved ones who died in faith. We take time to pause and remember their faithfulness and how that has shaped our existence. We look up, not to the saints, but to the God who gave his Son to die and rise again, not only for the saints near and far, but also for us.

All Saints Day is a day to honor God for his goodness, mercy and grace on his church. It’s a day to celebrate God reaching into our lives to care for us and love us in spite of the poor choices we make. This week I pray you pause to remember the richness of your history. Remember the men and women who have shaped you into the person you are today. If they’re still alive, tell them what they mean to you. If they aren’t with us any longer, give thanks to God for their example and faith.

The celebration of this three day event is all about God and his provision for his people. Enjoy your All Saints celebrations!